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White Light
System: White Light Star: Red-Orange Habitable Planets: Clarion (Gollywog) Moons: None Climate Range: Humid throughout, temperature warm to very hot Atmosphere: 60% nitrogen, 24% oxygen, 16% carbon dioxide Gravity: 0.9973 Diameter: 11,679 kilometers Length of Day: 50 hours, 5 minutes Average Temp: 30 degrees Humans were the primary settlers on Clarion in centuries past. As they expanded from the direction of Theseus, the White Light system became a major crossroads for human exploration of the Frontier. Because it sits astride a connection of four major interstellar routes, Clarion has collected significant populations of all of the Four Races. No native animal life has been discovered on Clarion. Much of the planet is covered with vegetation, but all of the plants would be considered "primitive" by most standards. Lichens, mosses, algae and ferns are the most common types. Clarion is a flat, wet world. Most of the surface is covered by a large land mass that is broken by eight seas and a number of huge lakes. A few very low mountain ranges have risen above the surface, but most of Clarion is covered by broad plains and mudflats. A few of the largest mud flats are thousands of kilometers in diameter. Constant rain, lasting for weeks, is the usual weather condition on Clarion. Generally, these storms are punctuated by brief periods of fair weather before clouds collect and the showers begin again. At any one time, rain will be failing over 90% of the planet. The resources which have made Clarion a wealthy planet include uranium, which is found in all of the low mountain ranges; huge quantities of petroleum beneath the mud flats; and a few rich collections of bauxite (aluminum ore). The only industry of any size on the planet is petroleum refining. Although there is very Little demand for the burnable by-products of petroleum in the Frontier, the wide variety of plastics created from the oil are in great demand All of Clarion is ruled by a single government. This government is a capitalist monarchy which traditionally has enjoyed wide support from the population. The current king, Leotus XIX, has ruled for 37 years and soon will no doubt abdicate in favor of his daughter, Leotia XX. The Leotus line has held the throne for nearly 400 years, always passing the crown from parent to child. Clarion is sometimes referred to as "Gollywog" by visitors from other systems. The name is regarded as an insult by most residents of the planet, however, and its use has been known to provoke violence from loyal and peaceful citizens. The population of Clarion is centered in 12 great cities, each with a population measured in tens of millions. The largest city on the planet is Valentina, the . Here, the incredible palace of the Leotine rulers sprawls over dozens of square kilometers. Here, also, is the headquarters of the surface-based Royal Guards, the planetary militia. This militia numbers only a few thousand men, yet it has never been defeated in any land combat fought throughout the planet's generally peaceful history. Wheeling majestically through space, hundreds of kilometers above the planet's surface, are the Clarion Stations. Fortress Redoubt, a major UPF base, is the largest. The others include a large commerce station (Clarion Station), a Class III spaceship construction center, and a half-dozen smaller research and observation stations. The Clarion Royal Marines are based on Clarion Station. Some significant laws exist on Clarion that have contributed to the success of the monarchy. Trade with other systems is encouraged, and is profitable enough that most merchants do not mind the high tariffs assessed to all imports. Companies working on the planet's surface must demilitarize all operations, and this has contributed greatly to the state of perpetual peace that the planet has known. There are a few agents of unrest, however. Leotus rules the planet through an elected parliament of 100 seats. Although 70 to 80 of these seats consistently support the king in all decisions, the remainder of the seats are held by the Liberation Party, which wishes to end the monarchistic government of Clarion. The Liberation Party is rumored to support some of the pirate bands that are known to lurk in White Light's asteroid belt. The pirates also are reported to be receiving aid from the Streel Corporation, which was banned from operations on Clarion for 20 years following violations of the Demilitarization Act. Only eight years remain in this sentence, but already the rumors of subversive Streel activity are common. There also are reports that Streel is a heavy contributor to the coffers of the Liberation Party. Because of the UPF charter, the sentence against Streel does not extend into space, so the Corporation has an active office on the commerce station orbiting Clarion.